A Punishment For War
by SweeterThanKarma
Summary: The Hunger Games is back with a vengeance.  And who falls victim as two tributes?  Only the best, only the ones who's parents survived.  Lemons and Limes. OCXOC


There are a lot of bad games to play.

Too bad Hunger Games was top of that list.

They overthrew everybody. The followers of Snow killed the happy-go-lucky innocents. Not too long after Katniss's little girl, Rueanne, turned fifteen. They killed off the president and laughed in the rebel's faces. Katniss was too scarred to live to the expectations of Mockingjay again - Peeta was frightened of torture again and Gale had a family on the line. The rebels were goners. The Hunger Games were established with uglier rules.

And when Katniss woke up to them she pretty much fainted. Rueanne was brave enough to usher her brother Lake into the other room, because he was just ten years old and scared to death of everything that didn't scream safety. The list of rules was nailed to every door in District 12. Peeta was the one to find it. He brought it back to Katniss in a corner office and discussed it quietly to her. The rules haven't changed much.

Only, instead of random listings and volunteering for others, the District voted their two tributes and that was that. No replacements, like Katniss to her sister Prim or an old woman named Megs replacing a shaking beauty called Annie.

There was no cornucopia. Instead they had their packs on hand when they were in the tube.

The other rules were so scrawny that as Rueanne eavesdropped on her mother's heavy breaths, she had no fear wash over her. The ages were still intact and luckily, Lake was underage still. Rueanne partially hoped to be voted in, to prove herself to her parents. They had both been hereos, and she wanted to try and live up to the Mellmark family name. And the Hunger Games, no matter how bloody, was her way to do it.

Voting was simple. Everybody knew everybody, even in the District this size. It was impossible for everybody to decide on who to vote on. They rallies in the square, as a last resort, to hail a large meeting on what to do. There was no point in rebelling, because that was the past and this future was simpler, less brutal. It had been more than thirty years of peace, and this could easily be brushed off by most who were unnaffected.

The leader to it all, Markus Aprils, stood as the Mayor and sighed loudly. That was all he had to do to get people's attention directed on his small form. Rueanne leaned forward in her seat, just like the orginal Rue, ready to take flight from where her family was parked. Her father touched her shoulder and pulled her back from jumping up and declaring she wanted to be the next tribute to die.

"I am so sorry for the consenquences that has brought us here today to vote who will be our next two tributes for the first adapted Hunger Games. I would like to send my condolences to the family and friends of the tributes chosen. But before we vote, I would like to ask for any volunteers, so the votes will be more specific and not cast off any innocents." He sat back down to wait for people to scream or kill him for even suggesting it.

Instead, kids stood and lined the stage. Including - to everybody's wonder - Rueanne Mellmark, the girl with dark black hair down to the middle of her back and her father's brilliant blue eyes, burning like her mother's fire. She was the offsrping of two truly attractive, strong people, and it looked as though none of their flaws has found their way into Rueanne's body. She was tallest and thinnest there, but she was also the strongest. Everybody else was shaking.

That was when the vote was hailed. Everybody peered at the thin, small paper with two lines in stark black ink drawn on them. Then their eyes flitted up to the cast of teenagers, either crossing their arms or putting their hands on their hips confidently, mimicking Rueann's stance like it was their job. Everybody fidgeted nervously as new Peacemakers grabbed their ballots and returned to the stage for couting. It didn't take long - Rueanne's name was dominent in the femal category, pushing her to the front of the line as she shook her long inky black hair out of her face and smiled at her people. They shouldn't worry - Rueanne liked to win. The boys were harder to choose from - smart and quick boys or thoughtless and burly boys? They were all there, every shape and color, waiting to be voted with the beautiful Rueanne Mellmark and try to steal her heart before they had to kill her.

One boy stood out amongst them, the only one that migrated over from District 2, trying to run away from his father and stupid superficial mother. He was the one that lived in the house next to Rueanne, dying to get her attention as much as she was dying to get his. The boy looked exactly like his father, maybe even more handsome, and shook his shoulders confidently before stepping up when his name was called. The vote was obviously for chances of outcome, who could survive better because their parents had.

The Mayor stood, since they didn't trust escorts like Effie Trinket anymore. He read the names aloud for the whole District to here. "I would like the two tributes to step up when I call their names. Congratulations Rueanne Mellmark and Cathal Hawethorn! Welcome to the Hunger Games."

You didn't have to be smart to know that Peeta Mellmark, Katniss Everdeen, and Gale Hawethorn's offspring were hand-picked to be the two next tributes to the Hunger Games. 


End file.
